Grace Healing Authentic and Whole

 

Homily by Hawley Todd given at a Celebration of Wholeness and Healing at Grace Church, 12/14/2011.

Exodus 3:13 – 15 the Divine Name Revealed

But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”, and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you.” ’ ¹⁵God also said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you”: This is my name for ever, and this my title for all generations.

Open with prayer invoking the Holy Spirit

Welcome and explain context of the service

Who are you?

Think about it for a moment. Who are you?

How would you answer that question?

What I really want you to think about is how you would answer that question to yourself. It does not matter how you answer it to me. Where it really matters is how you answer it to yourself.

Healing is at its deepest center Becoming the Persons God Created Us to Be

When Moses asked God what his name is, Moses was asking “Who are you?”

What a perfect answer “I am who I am”

Are you “who you are” “who you were created to be in your truest sense” or are you somebody else?

Healing is about becoming real – becoming authentic – becoming whole.

I doubt if any of us have arrived at complete wholeness – it is a journey – a process that may take us all our life (lives).

Yet it is the journey to which each of us is called.

We are called to become real, whole, and truly ourselves.

There is so much healing that is needed in our lives – to live into becoming who we truly are.

We spend so much time and effort creating illusions and images of ourselves so that others will like us – so we can get ahead in the world – so we can receive some degree of acceptance from others – or whatever else your particular need may be.

During childhood and adolescence we strive to fit in.

Parts of us that don’t receive the approval of others get stifled or broken.

So who are you?

When Jesus told us to “love others as we love ourselves” – He was telling us that an essential aspect of loving is to Love and Honor who we are!

The more we grow into becoming whole, real, and authentic – the more we can encourage and allow each other to be real and authentic.

Conversely, the deeper we allow ourselves to be split off from being who we were created to be – the more we try to force others to conform to become what we think they SHOULD BE.

I don’t know who you were created to be.

However I do know that the more we enter into relationship with God – with the Divine Spirit – the more we are empowered to grow and become authentic.

So take time this Advent season – yes it is Advent: Christmas doesn’t start until at least Christmas Eve – to honor your self.

Seek healing for those parts of yourself that are damaged and broken – especially for those wounds that inhibit you being real.

And give yourself the precious gift of love.

Give yourself permission to DO what nourishes your soul and spirit.

“No” is a wonderful word. It really is okay to say “no” when others are sucking you dry.

This is such a busy time of the year. And people place so many demands and expectations upon one another.

Here is a novel concept for us to consider as we prepare for the Christmas season. Perhaps the best gift we can give to those we love is to love who we are and become the persons God created us to be.

Let us pray

[prayer time to ask the Holy Spirit to come and heal and bless us to become whole]